The function of the protein alpha-synuclein is unknown. Scientists studying Parkinson's disease are interested in this protein because it is a major component of Lewy bodies, clumps of protein that can form in the brain and are one of the hallmarks of Parkinson's disease. Despite intensive efforts to characterize the protein's role in Parkinson's, there are still many questions about it.
A paper published online 23 December 2016 in Acta Neuropathologica now indicates that alpha-synuclein can travel from brain to gut. Moreover, vagal motor neurons and efferents seem to be involved in this process.
The study was led by Ayse Ulusoy, Michael Helwig and Donato A. Di Monte from German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Germany, together with Robert J. Phillips andTerry L. Powley from Purdue UniversityWest Lafayette in the USA.
In addition to the central nervous system, alpha-synuclein lesions may also exist in neurons of the peripheral nervous system. So some thought that the pathological process behind Parkinson's may start in the gut and then move to the brain, which others thought that alpha-synuclein may travel from the brain to the gut. For this study, the researchers tested the second concept.
Lead researcher Donato A. Di Monte and colleagues induced production of human alpha-synuclein in rats by using a special viral vector. The researchers found that alpha-synuclein, which was expressed in the rats' brains, was able to reach nerve endings in the gastric wall. Further, they also revealed the pathway through which the protein moves from the brain to the stomach: alpha-synuclein passes from one neuron to another, and uses long nerve fibers as conduits. CusAb offers Recombinant DRD2 and alpha-synuclein.
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